That sounds very similar to what I was planning for my new game (after the 1.2 patch comes out, which should be soon). In short, I aim to get all bronze Intelligence talents, all lvl 1 talents in Aard, then distribute all the remaining bronze talents I get in Chapter I to other stats and fighting styles somewhat evenly. I'll need Aard primarily for tougher monsters like Ozzrel and the Beast, while Intelligence is essential for being able to create my own oils early in the game. I don't intend to upgrade Intelligence any further than bronze, except maybe for bombs, but in my last game I didn't use many bombs. However, +20% base sign intensity sounds useful. Is Ingredient Extraction talent any good? I always get ingredients from foes I slay even without it, so I'm not sure what the benefits are.bdizel said:I just got the game and I've played through Chapter 1 three times in search of a good build. Here's my resulting build strat:1st, upgrade Ard with Stun. This makes Ard offensive against 2 types of resistances instead of just 1. After a successful cast you can usually kill 1 opponent instantly and, in my experience, sometimes 2. In my game play experience Stun is more useful than knockback as it keeps opponents in easy reach.2nd, I recommend upgrading all stats to 1.3rd, I acquire Oils. Oils are useful against the high HP gouls you face in Chapter 1. With Necrophlange Oil, it seemed my Steel sword was almost as good as a Silver one. I imagine I could 1 or 2 shot gouls with Necrophlange Oil on a Silver sword.4th, I get Herbs. Herbs can be sold for 1-2g in Chapter 1 if neccessary. Think of it as gambling money and use the resulting gold to buy any herb and monster books you dont have asap.5th, I upgrade all Steel sword styles. I purchase lvl2 in each style. This applies to all styles. I ended up using all styles.6th, I upgrade Igni with Incineration and +dmg. Igni is incredibly useful with Incineration.7th, I purchase +dmg modifiers for all lvls of all Steel sword styles that I can.. . . that usually takes me through the bulk of Chapter 1. I put additional talents into some of the stat abilties for Str, Dex and Stam.My fundamental build strategy is to have 5 in all stats and sword styles.
I would welcome stronger opponents, since I found everyone stopped being a challenge once I got into the second half of Chapter II on Medium difficulty. However, I've heard that you earn less experience on Hard difficulty, and that's what keeps me from selecting it. Character leveling is an important aspect of roleplaying for me, and I'd hate to see that feature stunted on the highest difficulty.bdizel said:I recommend it. In my experience it made every opponent lethal which made the game more challenging/fun for me.bdizel said:Maybe I should play my next game on Hard difficulty. What's your take on that?